Hatter's Journey
by TheModernLeper
Summary: So this is a re-publish, previously in the Alice In Wonderland section. Simple story of Hatter's decision to go after Alice. Rated M for later chapters ; R/R please.
1. Chapter 1

Three days. Three days was all he lasted in Wonderland without her.

It was on the second day, as he was dismantling his teashop, that he received a visit from an old acquaintance.

"Not sad to see it go are you?" Dodo said, not trying to hide the smugness in his voice. Hatter didn't look up from his packing, instead continuing to transfer the contents of his desk into a large box.

"Not in the slightest," he replied.

"Oh come on, not even a little? You held quite the little court here for a while. Money flowing in, tea flowing out, the occasional hand out to the resistance. Best of both worlds eh?"

Hatter looked up from his packing and stared Dodo down.

"As you seemed to have failed to remember, I was there when the casino went down. I was there when the ring got handed over. I was there when you pretty little prince took power. I put up with the shots at my allegiance when the times were tough and the resistance was struggling. But not anymore. Now you can show yourself the door, yeah?"

He gestured towards the exit and continued on with his work, having ended the conversation from his perspective. But Dodo didn't leave.

"You'll want to be careful about which bridges you choose to burn right now Hatter. Wonderland is changing. The government is entering a whole new era. And there will be lots of room at the top if you play your cards right. Or did you really spend all those years risking your neck for nothing?"

"Look, what I want now is to be left alone. And your memory really must be slipping away from you, as you've forgotten that the last I saw you, you shot me!"

Dodo knew he was close to pushing just the right buttons, and he was enjoying it. He'd spent a few too many years of his life depending on Hatter for his continued existence and he was ready for a little payback.

"Now, now," he started as he plastered a smile on his face, "Ancient history. Think about what I'm offering you here. A job, with security and power. What more could you ask for? Unless…that is….you aren't planning on being in Wonderland much longer?" He saw Hatter's jaw clench and his face freeze. Bingo. "You couldn't possibly be considering going to Earth could you? What in heaven's name could you possibly want there?" Hatter continued to avoid his gaze, instead staring into his table hard enough to burn holes through it. "This couldn't possibly have something to do with that little tart you were dragging around with a while back?" The Hatter's eyes finally shot up and met his.

"You mean the little tart that helped save Wonderland? The one who succeeded where you failed for so many years?" Hatter knew how to push Dodo's buttons as well.

"Yes, that's the one," said Dodo, his voice remaining relaxed.

"No. It's nothin' to do with her. I'm not going anywhere." Replied Hatter, sounding deflated.

"Well good. You know you've got no place in their world…not that you have any real place in this one. Besides, imagine how disappointed she'd when you came calling instead of the prince. To expect her royal ex-love and instead get the con man who almost got her killed on several different occasions. I can almost see it now." And with that he had pushed Hatter's last button.

"Piss off!" he yelled, and with the last word he clenched his right fist and slammed it into the table, shattering the glass into a thousand pieces. Dodo started backing towards the door, having no particular desire for their little chat to come to actual blows.

"Why look at the time," he said glancing at his watchless wrist. "As much as I enjoy our little visits, I really must be off." Hatter stood among the remains of his desk, flexing his hand.

"Wise choice Dodo," Hatter said, still staring at his hand. Dodo hustled out the door, leaving Hatter alone, a position he had found himself in more often than not lately. He slumped down into his chair and took in the room. His few meaningful possessions packed away into boxes, a closet full of clothes, and no real home to go to. He got up and walked over to the closet, pulling out a familiar purple coat. He put it to his face and breathed in. It still smelled like her. It was then that he reached a decision in his mind. He went back to the wreckage of his desk and picked up the small intercom off the floor. He pressed the button till he heard a beep on the other end.

"Yes, Mr. Hatter?" a voice came through.

"Dormie, I'm going to need you to make me an appointment with the king."

"That sounds like it might be difficult Mr. Hatter."

"Just tell him who the meeting is for…he owes me one."


	2. Chapter 2

Hatter sat in a plush waiting room, trying to avoid eye contact with the perky blond secretary seated across from him. After the destruction of the casino, Jack had relocated the government's headquarters to a small island in the middle of the lake. He claimed it afforded him the degree of privacy needed to help rebuild the government, but Hatter thought it had more to do with security. Things were transitioning peacefully enough, but as with any new government, the tides could turn very quickly. And it's fairly difficult to stage a coup in the middle of a lake. There came a loud beep from the secretary's phone and answered it quickly. After some quick conversation into the receiver she stood up and motioned for Hatter to go in.

"He's waiting for you," she said with a brilliant white smile plastered on to her face.

"I'll just bet he is," muttered under his breath. He flipped his hat on to his head and pushed open the large pair of doors. Jack (he refused to think of him as the king) was seated behind a large silver desk, in a chair large enough to be considered a throne. The Hatter did not think that simple confusion was an accident.

"Hatter," Jack said as he rose from his desk, "I won't say this isn't a surprise."

"You're not alone there…I didn't really expect to be calling in favors from you any time soon," he wandered around the room, giving a number of tapestries a critical look. He picked at a velvet tassel of a curtain and dropped it with a look of distaste. He normally enjoyed the feel of velvet, but in Jack's office it felt quite wrong to him. He spun back to face Jack. "But alas, here we are."

"You want something," Jack said, cutting straight to the point.

"Yes." If Jack was going to cut straight through the bull shit, so would Hatter.

"Something to do with Alice?" Jack didn't really say it like a question.

A pregnant pause filled the room.

"Yes," Hatter finally replied. A smirk had begun to form on Jack's face. Hatter wanted nothing more than to punch it off. He felt his fist clench but immediately relaxed it. Threats would work with Dodo, but it was pointless with Jack. He could have twenty guards in here with the snap of his fingers.

"Well I'm on a roll now aren't I? Let's see…you're here to ask my permission to leave Wonderland. To go to her. Am I right?

"Your genius is simply astounding. You ever consider giving up the whole royalty gig? Find a group of carnies and start passing out fortunes?" Hatter knew sarcasm wouldn't win him any favors but he couldn't help himself.

"No, actually I haven't. Running the country and all seems like a much higher purpose to be honest." Hatter resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Look, I know you've had the looking glass hut down ever since the oysters were sent home, but I thought you could reopen it…for me."

"You know the policy for our kind living on Earth. It doesn't work. Never has." Jack lifted his shoulders as if to say _what am I to do_?

"To be fair, the policy is old and outdated. Established by your mother. I thought I was talking to a revolutionary king here. Out with the old, in with new. You're all about setting precedence aren't you?" Hatter leveled his gaze on Jack, wanting him to understand just how seriously he was taking this.

"That I am…that I am. But just what makes you think she'll take you back?"

"What do you mean?" Hatter shot back.

"What I mean is that she left Wonderland without expressing any desire to come back. You have to admit she doesn't exactly have fond memories of this place. So what makes you think that she would want a little piece of Wonderland showing up and knocking at her door?" He was looking at Hatter with genuine curiosity, waiting for his response. Hatter looked torn, debating how to answer, debating what is answer even was.

"I don't…Look I have no idea if she'll want to see me. I really don't. But I know what I want. And put simply, I want her. Now if you really love her, as you once claimed, then you'd want her to be happy yeah? Well what if I could make her happy? A decent man would want her with someone who would care about her." He raised his eyebrows and held out his hands in a pleading gesture.

"And what if she'd chosen me eh? Would you have stepped down? Let her be happy with me?"

"Uh…well…as it were...probably not no," he said very quickly, "But then again I've never been a decent man."

"Oh well that's a wonderful selling point! How could I turn you down now?"

"I'd be decent for her. Now I know that you're having a blast dragging this out, and that's fine. I'd probably do the same thing if I were in your position. But we both know you've already made up your mind. You know how I feel about her and you know I don't give a flying rat's ass about leaving this world if it means being in hers. So will you open the looking glass for me or not?" Jack looked at him for a good minute, turning what he had said around in his mind.

"If I do this…you may not be able to come back. Are you willing to take that risk?"

"Look, there's nothing left for me here. Even if she doesn't want me, I could start another life over there. I don't know how, but I know that this world has grown a bit too small for me. I need some room to…spread my legs." He turned his hat over in his hands and sighed.

"Oh don't look so pitiful. If you want the looking glass open, it'll be open. But you have to promise me you'll find her and treat her well. Resist the urge to be…well, your old self. If you can help it." A huge smile broke across Hatter's face. He tossed his hat into the air, did a spin, and had it land on his head.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't just see that if you don't mind." Jack said with a look of disgust on his face. The Hatter stopped, replayed what he had just done in his mind and nodded his head.

"Yeah that'd be great, thanks."


	3. Chapter 3

Hatter stood at the foot of the Looking Glass, and watched as Jack put the ring into its place, and heard the hum of the glass as it filled with power. All of a sudden, he felt really quite small. His heart was pounding at a fast and steady rhythm as his stomach clenched itself into one huge knot.

"You wouldn't be having second thoughts about going now would you?" asked Jack, paying annoyingly close attention to Hatter.

"None whatsoever," replied Hatter coolly. "Why? Having second thoughts about sending me?"

"A few," Jack admitted casually, "But I'm hoping you'll prove them wrong…or right. I'd be happy with either outcome really."

"You don't think this is going to work out do you? You expect me to cock it up some how. Say something stupid, do something offensive."

"Yes, as a matter of act I do."

Hatter stood looking at the ground for a moment, and a grin slowly spread itself across his face. "Your lack of faith in me is reassuring," he said with sincerity. He even gave Jack a large pat on the back. Jack looked oddly surprised, looking towards his back as if to find out if the pat was real or not.

"In what way is my assurance of your failure reassuring to you?"

"Simple really. Last time you and I stood off, you were sure she was going to run off with you, help you over throw the queen, and rule over Wonderland with you for the rest of your blessed little lives. Am I right?"

"Why yes. And in case you hadn't noticed, she did come with me, and she did help me force my mother to abdicate her thrown."

"Yeah…but she didn't stay with you did she?" Hatter cocked the eyebrow to underline the question. The smile was still on his face and he could no longer feel any knots in his stomach.

"No. No she did not." Jack replied begrudgingly.

"See? You're not right about everything." Hatter shrugged genially, as if that fact was spectacularly comforting to him.

"Is this really the best way to be speaking to the man who decides whether or not you make it through that looking glass…and whether or not you ever get to come back?" Jack took a nice long moment to look smug.

"Probably not, no. But on the other hand, you've had about a thousand different opportunities to back out since I asked you. And hell, let's be honest, you knew I was going to come to you long before I actually did. So enough with the threats alright? I'm a bit anxious to be off now. Lots of things to do, people to see."

Jack studied him for a moment and then gave a small shrug.

"Fair enough." He handed Hatter a large white envelope. "Here. You'll be needing this." Hatter opened it to find it filled with a number of green bills.

"What's this now?" Hatter asked as he flipped through the bills.

"Human money. American, to be exact. You'll need it when you get over there for food and clothes."

"And just what is wrong with what I have on?" asked Hatter, gesturing to his long leather coat, dark violet pants, and bright orange shirt. All topped off, of course, with a leather top hat.

"I'd like to remind you that for someone as street smart as you in this world, you really know nothing about hers. You might pass for an eccentric in their world, but I think it best not to attract any unnecessary attention."

"Alright alright. But just how the hell did you get all this money anyway?"

"Some is left over from my time there and the rest is…donations I suppose." He looked uneasy as he said the words.

"Donations? Donations from whom?"

"During the old regime, me mother got in the habit of stripping oysters of their valuables when the came over. This money is just some of the left overs. And before you get all righteous and angry, remember that we can't exactly give them back their money now and it's hardly doing any good just sitting around here."

Hatter pinched the bridge of his nose, looked at the money once more, shook his head, and shoved it in his pocket.

"If you don't mind, I'll forgo that bit of information when I see Alice. Seems like it might…offend her moral sensibilities."

"Good call," Jack admitted sheepishly. " Well come on now. The day is wasting. I don't want the Looking Glass open any longer then it needs to be." They walked to the edge of the glass and Hatter stopped short.

"I know I didn't say it before, but thank you." He looked Jack in the eye, and Jack could tell he meant it. "This means more than you know."

"That's where you're wrong. I loved her too remember?" Hatter seemed to consider this for a moment.

"Yeah…yeah I suppose you did." Though in the back of his mind he knew there was no way Jack felt as strongly as he did. But he was not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, nor pick a fight when he was this close to what he wanted.

"Good bye Hatter," said Jack. He gave him a final pat on the back, and a good hard shove through the glass. His top hat seemed to hover in the air for a moment, before it too was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

Hatter felt as if his insides had been turned outside and that his brain was spinning in his skull. All he could see was a whirl of colors and a few glimmers of light. A steady wind pounded in his ears. And then he landed, ass first, on the cement. He let out a pathetic little whimper and clutched his tailbone. After a couple of minutes of wallowing in pain, he pulled himself up, picked up his hat, and looked at his surroundings. He was in a large warehouse, with the looking glass beside him. He gave himself a once over in the mirror, and dusted himself off. He could hear Jack's words about his appearance echo in his mind, and they gave him a headache. He shoved his hand in his pocket, felt the money still there, and feeling reassured he found an exit to the building.

He walked out on to a noisy street filled with bustling people. Large brick buildings were erected all around him, some offices, some warehouses. An elderly lady pushing a shopping cart cast a glance his way, gave him an odd look, and then picked up her pace down the street. Hatter sighed to himself and realized that he really was going to have to find a change of clothes before he could even start looking for Alice.

That, of course, was his biggest problem. He had no idea where Alice lived. He knew he was probably in the right city, and if he was lucky, she would be within a few city blocks. But it wasn't as if saving a girl's life guaranteed you her forwarding address. He knew her name, but chances were that in a city hat big, there would be more than one Alice Hamilton. He forced his head down and began to march down the street.

He walked two blocks up before a window display of men's clothes caught his eye. He walked into the Urban Outfitters and came out twenty minutes later dressed in jeans, a white shirt, and a green jacket. While he thought it didn't have nearly the amount of flare his previous ensemble had, it was fairly inconspicuous. He had grabbed directions from a fairly flirtatious shop girl for a local barber just one block west. He went into the barber, and having only ever cut his own hair, just told the old man to make it look respectable. It was not a word he felt grace his lips very often, but if there was ever an occasion for him to look respectable, he decided that this was it.

And so, two hours after landing like a ton of bricks on his behind, Hatter found himself sitting in an outdoor café, eating a bagel, and running his hand through his shortened hair, missing the old feeling of it all. He felt utterly and supremely lost. He looked fine, like a nice and normal young man, but he was no closer to finding Alice, and with no idea as to whether or not she would actually want to see him. And it was at that moment that fate intervened. Hatter happened to look down at the empty seat next to him, and find that someone had left their newspaper behind. He wouldn't have thought anything of it, if it weren't for the bolded head line on the open page. It read: **Local Woman Thought Missing Found in Warehouse**.

"Oh you've got to be shitting me," Hatter whispered to himself. Despite a life spent fairly devoid of any great spiritual faith, Hatter clasped his hands together, looked up at the sky, and said to no one in particular, "Thank you!" He quickly scanned the article, found the name of Alice's mother and slammed down the paper. He looked desperately around him and stopped a young boy passing by his table.

"Excuse me, please? Yeah, if I were looking for someone, needed to contact them, and only had their name, how would I go about doing that?" The young boy gave him a bored look and sighed.

"Ever hear of a little thing called the internet?"

"The what-net?" Hatter looked as confused as he felt. The kid's expression grew equally confused, as if he weren't entirely sure how to respond to an answer like that.

"I…uh….I guess you'd look their name up in a phone book. And…call them?"

"Yes! That's it. I need to call them. And where would I find a phone book?" He looked so eager it was starting to freak the kid out.

"There's a pay phone down the street," he replied cocking a thumb towards the street behind him. "It'll have Yellow Pages."

"I thought you said I wanted a phone book? Why would I need yellow paper?"

"Just…I….the phone's back there, now will you leave me alone?" The boy shoved a pair of head phones in his ears and set off at a fast clip. Hatter sat there wondering what he has said, and then deciding he didn't care. He jogged down the street in the direction the boy had pointed until he came upon the pay phone. He flipped through the phone book, making the mental connection that it was yellow, and thankfully found only one Caroline Hamilton listed. He shoved some coins into the slot, punched in the number, and waited.

After three rings, he heard a click and a woman's voice came through on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Hi…I mean hello. Is this a Mrs. Caroline Hamilton?" Hatter stuttered.

"Yes it is. I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"No, no you don't. But I know your daughter."


	5. Chapter 5

He stood there staring at the doorway, too afraid to knock. He'd been there for about five minutes at that point. Only a mere hour before, he'd been on the phone with Alice's mother. He had told her his name was David, the construction worker from the article.

David.

He rolled the name around in his mouth and didn't much like the taste. He wasn't David. But he might have to be for her.

_What makes you think she'll take you back_? Jack's words echoed in his mind. He hated those words. They hadn't left him alone since he'd left Wonderland. Cynical as he was about love he understood a simple truth. Physical pain, torture, even death paled to the fact that the worst feeling in the world, the worst pain that could be inflicted, was wanting someone who didn't want you back. Those times when you can almost feel your heart physically breaking. When you questioned everything about yourself, looking for the one thing that stops them from wanting you. Living hell. Simple as that. And he didn't want to feel that. He'd been there before, and had no desire to go back.

Then why was he standing at her doorway? Why tempt fate? And he realized then, rather simply, that there were some things in the world worth getting your heart broken for. And she was one of them.

And so he lifted his hand, which felt as heavy as a boulder, and pressed the doorbell.

He was started counting to ten, swearing that if he made it that far, he'd turn around and never look back. He only made it to four. Alice's mother opened the door with a smile.

"Hi there. You're David?" He could see bits of Alice in her. In her eyes, the way she held her head. It brought a smile to his face.

"Yes, that's me." He spoke with a conviction he did not feel.

"Well please come in. I'm sorry but I only just mentioned to Alice that you were stopping by. Don't worry if she doesn't recognize you. She was out of it for quite a while after you found her."

"It's perfectly fine," he replied, standing in their main room.

"Alice!" her mother called down then hall, "Come meet David!"

The few seconds it took for Alice to walk down the hall were the longest of Hatter's life. And then she was there. He looked up and saw her standing in the doorway, hair as dark and eyes as blue as he remembered. He wanted to run up, to grab her, to kiss her. But he didn't. He stood there and waited for her to move first. This was the moment, no time to think or debate, in which she would decide what she thought of him being there. He got his answer a quarter of a second later, when she cried his name, his real name, and rushed forward into his arms. He breathed her in and wrapped his arms around her, folding down to embrace her. It felt perfect. It felt like what he had missed. Quietly, under his breath, he whispered "Finally".

She spoke into his ear, "You have no idea how happy I am to see you." He felt his heart do a back flip in his chest and wanted the moment to last forever. In the next moment though, Alice pulled back, so they could face each other.

They were both breathing heavily, and she looked as if she was about to say something. But he made a spilt second decision, one he hoped he wouldn't regret, and pressed his lips into hers. He put everything he felt into it, relishing the feel of even being close to her. He felt home. And what gave him the truest degree of happiness was that she was kissing him back. Their lips pushed and pulled against each other. He pulled back then, just for a moment, forehead resting against hers, and whispered the truth, "I missed you." And with that he captured her lips once more.

They didn't break apart until the third not so subtle cough from her mother. They swung around, one of his arms still wrapped around her waist. Mrs. Hamilton simply cocked an eyebrow at the two, waiting for an explanation.

"Umm, yeah, hi...ok. Well Mrs. Hamilton, I knew your daughter, know your daughter, from before. Before the accident I mean. We uh...we uh..."

"Went to school together," Alice picked up where Hatter had stumbled.

"Yes, there it is! We went to school then she went off and became a karate instructor, and I went into construction. And we dated, back in school that is. And then we didn't see each other until she had her accident and I found her and then here we are and I guess a bunch of the old feelings just came rushing back...and...yeah."

Alice leaned into him and jabbed his side.

"You're rambling," she whispered.

"Mmm hmm. I know. Help."

"He's right mom. We were really close in college. I guess it was sort of the whole rescuer/rescuee thing just now. All of the emotions just flooded in and well...there you are."

"Now who's rambling?" Hatter whispered back.

"But why did you call him Hatter? I thought his name was David?"

"Yes it is. Hatter is just a nickname," Alice started. "He got it because...he..."

"Always wears a hat." Hatter finished. Alice turned to him slightly and smiled. He gave her a wink.

"Uh huh," Mrs. Hamilton nodded skeptically. "Look I've got some errands to run. And it looks like you two could use some time alone, to...catch up."

"Yes!" said Hatter, a bit too enthusiastically. "What I mean is, that'd be great. Lot of...good times...to catch up on." He awkwardly slapped Alice on the back as though he were referring to his old room mate or soccer friend. Alice game him another jab with her elbow, and he tried not to flinch.

Mrs. Hamilton considered him oddly for a second, then seemed to make up her mind, shrugged, and picked up her purse.

"I'll be back in a few hours." With that she waved casually over her shoulder and locked the front door behind her.

Hatter and Alice turned to face each other.

"I thought I'd never see you again." She said, her voice filled with disbelief as if she still didn't comprehend that he was standing right in front of her.

"Oh please! You owe me pizza, remember?"


	6. Chapter 6

**I guess it's about time I earned that M-rating. It's lemon picking time.**

"Oh dear God, that's amazing," moaned Hatter as he finished off his fifth slice of pizza. "How do we not have this in Wonderland? Men who pay hundreds for a drop of Ectasy or Desire would give their left nut for a slice of meat-lovers."

"Charming," noted Alice, cocking a thin eyebrow at the spectacle in front of her. They sat in her living room, warm afternoon light pouring in the windows and casting deep shadows across the floors. As promised Alice had ordered them a pizza and they both enjoyed the heavy food silence normally reserved for holiday feasts that settled over them. Hatter chuckled to himself, not having meant for that to sound as crude as it had.

"Sorry, but it's true. No wonder Oysters have such stronger feelings. Everything's so much sharper here, so much more real. Every taste, every sound, every color. It's all more…_there_." He shrugged, not knowing if Alice would understand him. But she nodded in agreement.

"No, I get it. Not that flying pink flamingoes and burning green tattoos didn't leave an impression, but I guess looking back they seem far more surreal than this world does."

"Mm, Wonderland is a world of the abstract. Makes for a hell of a childhood though."

A long silence filled in the space between them, full ofvthe questions they both knew Alice would have to ask eventually. She sat cross legged in a large chair next to his place on the sofa. For a moment she just watched the light flow from the window and hit his face, illuminating swirling dust moats and filled the deep golden orbs of his eyes. Finally, she took a deep breath and plunged in.

"What are you doing here Hatter?" she asked, not with incredulousness, but rather open curiosity. Hatter sat with his hands folded on his knees for a moment, considering his reply.

"It's like I said before…I missed you. Wonderland seemed a far emptier place without you in it." He decided since he had come all this way, he was going to be straight with her. This was not the time for coy banter.

"But Wonderland's your home, you said so yourself. They need you there."

"No, they _needed_ me there. The old Wonderland did at least. It's a different place now. New government, new priorities. And my old occupation didn't really prepare me for it. I'm a rebel, not a bureaucrat," he shrugged, having accepted his situation a long time ago.

"So you didn't come here for me then," Alice decided, trying not to sound hurt. Hatter leaned forward, sacred at the conclusion shed drawn.

"Are you kidding? You're the exact reason I came here. A lack of job satisfaction does not normally lead one to abandon the only world he's ever known. You…you…you're the only thing important enough to make me decide to leave."

"Important?" Alice asked, looking up to meet his gaze.

"Absolutely, unquestionably important," Hatter asserted.

"And why's that?" Alice asked, a grin playing at the corners of her lips. She stood up and closed the two foot gap between her and the couch, planting herself next to Hatter.

"Well, as you probably figured out by now, through all our time together in Wonderland I grew quite fond of you," Hatter spoke cautiously, his nervousness growing tenfold now that the space between them was next to nil.

"Fond? In what way?" she said in a teasing voice. And here was where he decided to take his gamble.

"Alice, I think that I,and if you don't feel the same way, it's totally fine, you're not obliged to anything, it's just…I'm fairly sure I'm in love with you." He looked up from his hands with a look of fear, hope, and anxiousness all at once. Alice allowed the smile to fill her face, and Hatter was mesmerized by the sunlight hitting her in profile.

"Hatter…I," she laughed, almost not believing what was happening, "I love you too."

"You do?" Hatter was dumbfounded. No way was his luck this good. The universe was never this kind to him.

"Yes you hat-loving idiot. How many guys out there have saved me from death inside my own mind? Men like you aren't exactly a dime a doz-" Her smart ass remark was cut short by Hatter crushing his lips firmly into hers.

He cupped her face in both his hands and put every ounce of relief, and joy, and love in that kiss that he possibly could. What he didn't expect was for Alice to respond with such earnest. She ran her hands along his head, coming to play with the hair that tickled the nape of his neck. She grabbed hold of the hair there and pulled him more firmly against her. Hatter pulled one hand away to balance them as he pushed her forward on to her back. Once repositioned, he moved his lips to the new territories of her jaw line, and down her neck. He hit a sensitive spot just below her ear that made her gasp and unintentionally thrust her hips against his. His hands began to play with the hem of her tank top, his finger tracing patterns across her hips and abdomen. She began to yank at his own t-shirt. Seeing what she was trying to accomplish, he pulled away for only a moment to shed his shirt and throw it to the ground. She ran a hand down his chest, enjoying the very fact that he was even there to be touched. She kept waiting to blink, and wake back up in that hospital bed, to find it had all been the most amazing dream. Hatter paused, holding himself an agonizing few inches above her face, staring directly into her bright blue eyes.

"Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?" he asked, studying her every feature. "Do you have the slightest inkling of how much I missed you?" She gazed back, affection in her eyes.

"More than you know," she replied simply. And with that she pulled his face down to meet hers once again. As he maneuvered his way back to her favorite spot on her neck, her breathing grew heavier. She gathered all the energy she could muster and whispered into Hatter's ear the greatest words he could ever hope to hear from her lips.

"Bedroom. Now."

Never allowing his lips to leave her for more than a second, he pulled her around her waist, and she locked her legs around his back. He carried her down the hall to what he hoped was her bedroom. And if it wasn't, chances were he would christen a bathroom at that point. Luckily he had a good sense of direction, pushed open the door of her bedroom, and threw her on to the bed only to cover her body with his own a few seconds later. She tugged hard at his pants, managing to pull of his belt and force the jeans down to his knees all on her own. He kicked them off the rest of the way, while she yanked off her own jeans and tank top. Hatter's breath got caught for a moment as he took in her muscular body for the first time.

_A pretty girl in a very wet dress_, echoed in his mind from long ago, and he chuckled at how far he had come since then. He saw the desire in her eyes, and it only heightened his own.

"Are you safe?" he asked, knowing it was a rather important point to address.

"Yes," she replied quickly.

"Good…those bra and panties, they're quite nice," he said, changing the subject abruptly, pointing to her simple under garments.

"Thanks…" she replied, vaguely confused at what the break in conversation was for.

"Are you very attached to them?" He inquired, and a smile of understanding dawned on her face.

"Not in the slightest," she replied.

"Good," Hatter said in a voice so filled with love and lust that Alice could feel it send a shiver up her spine. With that, Hatter used his notorious right arm to deftly tear the lacey items off of Alice, and push his way down her body. As he went to work between her legs, he could hear her moans growing louder, and could feel her hips pushing themselves downwards, closer to him.

"Holy hell," she breathed, grabbing fistfuls of sheets to steady herself. Hatter made a grunt of agreement from between her thighs, but never slowed down his tongue, nor his surprisingly delicate fingers. He teased her, worked her up to a point where she was about to explode, only to stop, and drag himself upwards, leaving a trail of kisses up her belly, between the valley of her breasts, and finally back to her lips.

"Why in the hell are you stopping?" she almost screamed. He chuckled deep in his throat and positioned himself at her entrance.

"For this," he replied simply, and thrust himself into her. They each let out identical groans as he buried himself in her. Hatter felt something he thought he had lost. He felt home. And all Alice could feel was him. He began to thrust deeply into her, grinding down with each push forward. A feeling was building an Alice, so intense her voice failed her. With one more aptly placed grind, she exploded around him, electricity shooting through her every limb, her eyes and her mind going blank. At the feeling of Alice's moment of pure rapture, Hatter lost himself in her, and experienced a release like none he had ever felt before. He had not been lying when he said everything in her world felt more real.

He stayed inside her for a moment, not wanting to lose the feeling of their bodies being so close to one another. He placed a surprisingly sweet kiss on her cheek, pulled himself out, and fell in bed beside her. He reached over instantly and pulled her back into him, breathing in the scent of her body.

"That was…something else" she complimented him.

"No kidding," he agreed into her cascade of hair and he folded his fingers into hers.

"You…you'll stay here wont you?" she asked, feeling a moment of panic at never again feeling the way she did in that moment. Hatter smiled a smile of relief she couldn't see.

"I'll stay as long as you want."


End file.
